Who Was Rudolf Hoess?
Rudolf Hoess, born on November 25, 1900, was the driving force of the death camps. He was the one who started Auschwitz, and his sense of duty and and obedience led him to join the army at the young age of 15. When he was 17, he became the youngest NCO, or non-commissioned officer, in the German army. In addition to this, he earned an Iron Cross for bravery. A year after World War I, Hoess joined the East Prussian Volunteer Corps for Protection of the the Frontier, and he also became a member of the German Freikorps. Here, he took part in battles in the Baltic region, the Ruhr, and Upper Silesia.
Hoess was then involved in a political murder, and sent to prison, where he only served half his sentence. He was then released from prison under the Amnesty Law of July 14, 1928. Then, Himmler invited him to join the SS, and was offered a job at Dachau, one of the Nazi concentration camps, as a block overseer. After two years, Hoess was promoted to SS captain, and was appointed the First Commandant at Auschwitz on May 1, 1940.
Everyone who met Hoess for the first time saw him as a "kind, unselfish, introverted family man and animal lover." He was also a "perfectionist who took great pride in his work." Hoess was also extremely loyal to authority, and it didn't seem to matter who it was. Hitler was able to use this against him when he manipulated him into joining forces with him. To do this, Hitler played to Hoess's strengths; loyalty, kindness, the fact that he was a good person and didn't want to hurt anyone, submission to authority, etc. He told him that he knew that Hoess wouldn't want to hurt anyone because he was a good person, but he told him that he wanted him to kill the Jews. Following Hitler's orders, Hoess did just that, even though he might not have completely agreed with it.
http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/othercamps/hoess.html
Hoess was then involved in a political murder, and sent to prison, where he only served half his sentence. He was then released from prison under the Amnesty Law of July 14, 1928. Then, Himmler invited him to join the SS, and was offered a job at Dachau, one of the Nazi concentration camps, as a block overseer. After two years, Hoess was promoted to SS captain, and was appointed the First Commandant at Auschwitz on May 1, 1940.
Everyone who met Hoess for the first time saw him as a "kind, unselfish, introverted family man and animal lover." He was also a "perfectionist who took great pride in his work." Hoess was also extremely loyal to authority, and it didn't seem to matter who it was. Hitler was able to use this against him when he manipulated him into joining forces with him. To do this, Hitler played to Hoess's strengths; loyalty, kindness, the fact that he was a good person and didn't want to hurt anyone, submission to authority, etc. He told him that he knew that Hoess wouldn't want to hurt anyone because he was a good person, but he told him that he wanted him to kill the Jews. Following Hitler's orders, Hoess did just that, even though he might not have completely agreed with it.
http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/othercamps/hoess.html
To me learning about each of these Nazi officials has led to me to see a fair amount of common things between them all and I can specifically see how while they all looked towards Hitler as a strong figure and were all easily convinced by him to do things, mainly continuing to stay, fight, and believe in this war. They also all came across as calm and likable people by almost everyone that met them. This really surprises me considering that the atrocities that they committed and it leads me to wonder how they would all respond if they knew exactly what they were doing to the JEwish people.
ReplyDeleteHitler was the poster boy. The man with the the leadership skills to ignite the fire (nationalism and anti-semitism). His skills for speeches and his methodical psychological aptitude allowed him to control an entire nation making them conform. However the Nazi ideal would not have gone to the extent that it did if it wasnt for people under Hitler like Hoess who dealt with more of the logistics of the anti-semitism. Hoess and Himmler were the masterminds behind the massacre of six million Jews. As you described Hoess was a calm and collected figure, somewhat of a counter of Hitlers energetic radicalism which provided some calm stability while they carried out their atrocities.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is probably the most extreme example of conforming to authority. He killed millions of people even though without Hitler he was probably a decent guy. He made the horrible mistake of trusting Hitler. He went with the crowd down a horrible path and was path of some of the biggest human atrocities known to man. If I was a leader I would have asked him to lick the ground and he would have licked the ground. This man could not think for himself at all.
ReplyDeleteIt is crucial to remember Hoess for what he did- not what he perhaps would have done had there been different, less malicious people in power. Sure, people who knew him have described him as a "kind, unselfish, introverted family man and animal lover," but those could only be people who were alive to speak of him and create his legacy. He should be associated with his responsibility in one of the most horrific atrocities in history and with the murders of millions of people who, unlike him, would never have the opportunity to create legacies for themselves, because of him, even if it was because of others too. Despite certain qualities Hoess may have possessed, his actions were absolutely inexcusable. His willingness to conform to authority, even when the authority entirely lacked morality, brings up the question of what it really means to be a good or bad person. Often, people associate loyalty, dedication, hard work with being a "good person," but Hoess proves this wrong (or at least clearly shows that qualities like those mentioned are not truly what determines what kind of person someone is). Hoess was a horrible person, and he shows that it is not who you are that determines how you should be characterized as a person (good or evil) but rather what you do with it. The fact that Hoess was used for evil by Nazi leaders does not credit his character with any additional morality. It would be an utter injustice to the millions of people whose murders he enabled to believe that 'even if he did those things, he was not that kind of person.' What you do, not simply what qualities you possess, determines what kind of person you are; Hoess' actions and choices, regardless of how the qualities that helped him make those choices are typically viewed in society, make him extremely evil and unforgivable.
ReplyDelete